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Carter County commission to continue White Rocks Tower access road work despite engineer's note on unauthorized changes
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners voted 18-1 to continue work on the White Rocks Tower access road. An engineering letter from Mattern & Craig attached to the record estimates new costs at $1,350,000 and recommends withholding payment for work done beyond contract documents until quantities are reconciled.
The Carter County Board of Commissioners voted to continue construction work on the White Rocks Tower site access road after a June 29 motion passed 18-1.
The motion to continue the road project was made by Commissioner Aaron Frazier and seconded by Commissioner Julie Guinn; Commissioner Donnie Cable recorded the lone no vote. The motion and electronic roll-call are in the meeting record.
An engineering letter from the firm Mattern & Craig, dated June 22, 2026 and attached to the meeting record, says field conditions and additional contractor grading have increased the estimated total project cost to $1,350,000. The letter states that the contractor has performed work "beyond the plans and specifications without prior authorization or an approved change order," and recommends withholding payment for that unauthorized work until quantities can be fully reviewed and reconciled.
The Mattern & Craig letter lists specific overruns: tree removals originally estimated at 32 (with contingency up to 64) but reporting 256 trees identified or removed to date; excavation and embankment volumes exceeding plan limits; roadway reconditioning performed beyond specified locations; and additional stone required for roadbed stabilization discovered once heavy equipment was used.
The board did not record any additional discussion or amendment to the recommendation in the portions of the transcript provided. The engineering firm's letter is signed by Nick VanEss, P.E., PTOE, and Jason Carder, P.E., PTOE, RSP, and appears in the appended materials to the meeting minutes.
Next steps reported in the meeting record: the board approved continuation of the road work. The engineering letter recommends withholding compensation for unauthorized work until final quantities are reconciled; the transcript does not record how or when the county will act on that recommendation or whether a change order will be issued.
